1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of this invention relate to an information communication system, device and method.
2. Description of the Related Art
A data transmission system is disclosed in Japanese patent document JP-A-Hei 8-130774 (the “Japanese reference”). The data transmission system has a plurality of terminal stations, which have only a function of radio transmission to a base station. Each of the terminal stations has a transmission timing generating part for generating a transmission timing signal based on reference timing and for supplying it to a transmission control part. The transmission control part sends data inputted from sensors and other data input devices that are stored in a data memory to a modulation part according to the timing signal from the transmission timing generating part. The modulation part modulates the data into a signal and supplies it to a transmission part. The transmission part converts the modulated signal into a radio signal and transmits it from an antenna.
In the device disclosed in the Japanese reference, transmission timing has to be separately set for each of the terminal stations. In the case of a small boat having a plurality of outboard motors, for example, a node for controlling engines in the outboard motors, a node for a remote control lever provided in the cockpit for controlling the engines in the outboard motors, and a node for a display unit for displaying the engine rotational speed and so on are connected by a network so that information can be transmitted and received between them. When the outboard motors are attached to the hull in a factory, even if there are nodes of the same type, an operator who is conversant with network settings can discriminate between them and can set different transmission areas for each of the nodes to prevent a communication conflict between the nodes. However, when a user purchases a hull and outboard motors separately and assembles them by him/herself, it is difficult to set transmission timing in each of the plurality of nodes that constitute the network. That is, there is an unsolved problem that a user cannot set a network easily.